OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
7:33 AM – Friday, May 1, 2026
Maine Governor Janet Mills has suspended her campaign for the United States Senate weeks before the Democrat primary, citing a lack of financial resources.
Mills’ (D-Maine) exit on Thursday from the race to replace Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) opens the door for 41-year-old oyster farmer Graham Platner, a progressive newcomer, to secure the Democrat nomination.
“When I decided to run for the United States Senate last year, it was because I believed Maine people were getting a bad deal from Washington and because the President of the United States was threatening our democracy and pushing our nation to the brink of disaster,” Mills, 78, said in a Thursday statement from her campaign. “I continue to believe that today.”
She continued, “While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else — the fight — to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources.”
Graham, also a Marine Corps veteran, has been leading Mills in polls. An Emerson College Polling survey released last month showed Platner leading by about 27 points in the Senate Democratic contest. She did not endorse him, however. In an interview on Monday, she declined to say if she would support him should he become the nominee.
After praising Mills’ service to their “beautiful state,” Platner claimed victory on Thursday, saying that his campaign was “taking back what is ours.”
“We will defeat Susan Collins,” Platner stated. “We will go to Washington and we still start tearing down the system that for far too long has forgotten and written off the people who make Maine and this country what it is.”
He said that he would work “closely” with Mills, who is term-limited as governor, until November to “turn this seat blue again.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-N.Y.), a self-described democratic socialist, posted to X on Thursday, “Congrats to Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine. He’s surging by taking on the billionaire class and fighting for working families. Americans are tired of status quo politics. They want REAL change and that’s what Graham will deliver.”
In a hypothetical match between Platner and Collins, Platner has a 7-point lead, according to Emerson College’s survey.
Nevertheless, Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesperson Kristen Cianci expressed confidence that Collins will defeat Platner, who she described as “a Nazi sympathizing self-proclaimed communist with a record of hate-mongering and dishonesty.”
“It’s safe to say we are confident going into Election Day,” Canci said.
Maine’s Democrat primary will take place on June 9th.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below